Device for facilitating the tying of corn-tops.



No. 886,048. PATENTED APR-28, 1908.

D. W. PLYNN.. I DEVICE FOR FACILITATING THE TYING OF 001m TOPS.

APPLIGATION FILED JAN.1 4'. 1908.

Svwowtoz 1-H; NORRIS PETERS 041., WASHINGTON, u. c,

DENNIS W. FLYNN, or VIOLA, ILLINOIS.

DEVICE FOR FACILITATING THE 'IYING- OF CORN-TOPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 28, 1908.

Application filed January 14, 1908. Serial No. 410,827.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DENNIS W. FLYNN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Viola, in the county of Mercer and State of Illinois, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Devices for Facilitating theTying of Corn-Tops, of which the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to the topping of corn; and it seeks the provisionof a device constructed with a view of expediting and rendering easy thetying of corn tops when the corn is topped above the ear.

My novel device is mounted upon wheels so that it may be convenientlypushed between rows of corn, and it comprises a trough-like receiver forthe corn tops, means for confining and retaining the corn tops in thereceiver incidentally to the tying of the same, and an arrangementwhereby the twine employed in the tying may be tightly drawn around thetops and fastened while the tops are confined in the receiver.

ith the foregoing in mind the invention will be fully understood fromthe following description and claim when the same are read in connectionwith the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification,in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the device constituting the best embodimentof my invention of which I am cognizant. Fig. 2 is a longitudinalvertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken in theplane indicated by the line 33 of Fig. 1, looking in the directionindicated by the arrows.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the views of thedrawings, referring to which:

A is the axle of my novel device. B B are the supporting wheels thereof,C is the main frame of the device which is preferably connected with theaxle through the medium of interposed supports D, and E is a restfixedly connected to and depending from the main frame C at about theproportional distance illustrated from the axle A, and connected, bypreference, with the axle through the medium of a brace bar F, bestshown in Fig. 2. The said rest E has for its office to maintain theframe C in a horizontal or approximately horizontal position after themanner illus trated in Fig. 2, and it is obvious that when the device isto be moved along between rows of corn the handle end of the frame Cwill be raised sufficiently to enable the'lower end of the rest E toclear the ground.

At its forward end the main frame C is preferably, though notnecessarily, provided with a receptacle G designed to carry the knifeused in severing the twine, and said main frame is also provided with atroughlike receiver H, open at one end as indicated by a, and with alever I and a keeper J therefor. The lever I is pivoted to swingvertically on a bolt K journaled and adapted to turn in one side bar ofthe frame C, and consequently it will be manifest that while corn topsare being placed in the receiver H the lever may be made to lie on thesaid side bar of the frame. Then when a sufficient quantity of corn topsis placed in the receiver H the lever may be swung to the positionillustrated crosswise of the device, and then may be swung downward tocompress the corn tops, after which said lever may be placed inengagement with one of. the teeth of the keeper J so as to hold the massof corn tops during the tying thereof. In this connection it will benoticed that in order to release the corn tops subsequent to the tyingthereof it is simply necessary for the operator of the device todisengage the lever I from keeper J and then swing the said lever aboutthe bolt K until the lever rests on the before mentioned side bar of theframe C.

Connected to the side bars of the frame 0, preferably at a pointadjacent to the open end a of the receiver H isa hanger L which carriesa twine holder M, and by reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that thetwine employed, lettered N, is carried from the said holder M through aguide Pon one side of the frame C and thence across the trough-likereceiver H to the opposite side of the frame where if deemed expedientit may be secured during the formation of a bundle of tops.

In the practical use of my novel device, the same is pushed alongbetween rows of corn, and the corn tops are massed in the receiver H andon the portion of the twine N extending across the said receiver. Thenwhen there is enough corn topped for a bundle, the lever is swung aboutthe bolt K so that thelever rests crosswise of the re ceiver, afterwhich the lever is pressed downwardly to put the bundle under pressure,and is placed in engagement with the keeper J to hold the bundle in suchstate and retain it in the receiver. With this done the free end of thetwine is brought back over the top of the bundle and after being drawntaut is tied to the major portion of the cord and then the cord issevered. Subsequent to the tying of the bundle of tops as described, thelever I is disengaged from keeper J and is swung back to its positionabove one side bar of the frame, when the bundle of tops may be readilyremoved from the receiver H.

It will be gathered from the foregoing that when tied the tops may beshocked as the operator proceeds, and in this way a considerable amountof labor may be saved. It will also be gathered that my novel device issimple and inexpensive in construction and embodies no parts such as arelikely to get out of order after a short period of use.

As before stated the construction herein illustrated and described isthe best embodiment of my invention known to me, but it is obvious thatin the future practice of the invention such changes or modificationsmay be made as fairly fall within the scope of my invention as definedin the claims appended.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters-Patent, is:

1. The' herein described device for facilitating the tying of corn tops,comprising a wheel-supported main frame having side bars separated by anintervening space and arranged to be moved in the direction of theirlength between rows of corn, a longitudinallydisposed trough-likereceiver connected to and arranged between the said frame bars and openat one end and closed at its opposite end, a keeper arranged on oneframe bar and at one side of the receiver, and a lever capable of bothvertical and horizontal movement arranged to be engaged with anddisengaged from the said keeper; the said lever being pivoted on anupright bolt and arranged to swing vertically on the bolt, and the saidbolt being arranged and adapted to turn about its axis in the frame baropposite to that bearing the keeper.

2. The herein described device for facilitating the tying of corn tops,comprising a wheel-supported main frame having side bars separated by anintervening space and arranged to be moved in the direction of theirlength between rows of corn, a longitudinally disposed trough-likereceiver connected to and arranged between the said frame bars and openat one end and closed at its opposite end, a keeper arranged on one 1frame bar and at one side of the receiver, a lever connected with theother frame bar and arranged to swing both vertically and horizontally,a hanger connected to the side bars of the frame and dependingtherefrom, and a twine-holder carried by said hanger and disposed belowthe trough-like receiver.

3. In a device for facilitating the tying of corn tops, the combinationwith a wheel-supported, trough-like receiver open at one end and closedat its opposite end and arranged to be moved in the direction of itslength between. rows of corn, a keeper connected with the receiver anddisposed at one side thereof, and a lever capable of both vertical andhorizontal movements connected, with the receiver at the opposite sidethereof-and arranged to be moved into engagement with and. disengagedfrom the keeper.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

DENNIS W. FLYNN. WVitnesses:

M. J. RYAN, J. G. SUMMERS.

